Letter: Terrorists fled to the Republic as a safe haven during the Troubles so it is not a neutral player when it comes to dealing with the past

By Letters
Published 23rd Jan 2023, 03:37 BST
The flawed legacy bill is before the House of Lords this week. Ulster Human Rights Watch says its suggested amendments to the legislation were not taken up. "​Dublin can’t comment as if it’s an objective entity or wash its hands of what it did," the victims' group saysThe flawed legacy bill is before the House of Lords this week. Ulster Human Rights Watch says its suggested amendments to the legislation were not taken up. "​Dublin can’t comment as if it’s an objective entity or wash its hands of what it did," the victims' group says
The flawed legacy bill is before the House of Lords this week. Ulster Human Rights Watch says its suggested amendments to the legislation were not taken up. "​Dublin can’t comment as if it’s an objective entity or wash its hands of what it did," the victims' group says
A letter from Axel Schmidt:

Ireland must face its role in legacy terror

The publicly funded Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW) organisation is calling on Dublin to provide legacy structures that are the same as those proposed in Northern Ireland.

At UHRW, a Lurgan-based registered charity, we have set out our proposal in a document which we are circulating to members of the House of Lords ahead of this week’s debate. The Republic of Ireland would benefit from an organisation similar to the proposed Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

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The Republic is not a neutral player when it comes to the legacy left by the ‘Troubles’. Dublin simply cannot comment as if it’s an objective, independent entity or wash its hands of what the state did, and failed to do, in the past.

For more than two decades, dreadful acts of terrorism were masterminded in their jurisdiction.

Terrorists fled there as a safe haven with many living openly without fear of being arrested and extradited. They had their weapons’ caches there. And they smuggled weapons and explosives along the country’s coastline.

There was a shameful track record that should be acknowledged by the Irish state. It needs to commit to a matching legacy process that commands the respect of innocent victims, one which properly weighs and values those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists.

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The legacy and reconciliation bill in the United Kingdom is flawed and unbalanced. We made 13 proposed amendments designed to strengthen the draft bill but, regrettably, not one suggestion has been incorporated in government amendments.

We believe this is a missed opportunity where there are too many opportunities for former terrorists and their apologists to re-write history. That is unforgivable and will not lead to closure.

A second recommendation concerns the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland.

The PPS is a devolved matter and operates under the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland.

We say it’s time to review its functions to make it as efficient as all other prosecution services in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Axel Schmidt, Ulster Human Rights Watch, Lurgan

Related topics:IrelandNorthern IrelandRepublic of Ireland